[jldumm]

My left breast is sooo full and hard, like rocks. this has never happened to me. it has been going on all night. my 10 mo old suckles the tip but doesn't suck and swallow. i don't know what's wrong but it is getting worse and worse. tried hand pump, hand expressing, massage, husband, now getting in bath but getting desperate and very uncomfortable. help

 

[ein328]

I was going to suggest getting in a bath, but you're already doing that. Hot compresses may soften you up enough to allow for some pumping to relieve the engorgement. Do you have any other symptoms that may indicate mastitis (pain, fever, redness, etc)?

 

[jldumm]

it hurts. does that mean it is infected. or just tired of being messed with. he is up a lot at night (last night to bed at 7, up at 930, 1030, 1130, 1230, 230, 515, 7) and nurses, but not swallowing on that side.

i tried a really hot bath and was able to express 3 drops by hand and 3 by pump. so six total. he did nurse some but not nearly enough and i can't talk him into more. any other ideas.

 

[zwitterion]

It sounds like plugged ducts to me, but I could be wrong. Plugged ducts will cause pain, in my experience, but mastitis will cause fever, red patches on the affected breast, extra-special pain and an overall "I was just hit by a truck!" feeling. I suspect that if you have mastitis, you will know before the day is up.

kellymom has a great page on plugged ducts and mastitis: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/mastitis.html
There are lots of tips there for how to get plugged ducts to clear. What worked best for me, after lots of bouts with them, was to wrap the breast in a heating pad for 10-20 minutes before nursing (or pumping). The best nursing position for me was to lay my baby on her back on a bed and then lean over her, so I was essentially dangling my breast in her mouth. The help from gravity (or who knows what else) was really effective in clearing my plugged ducts. Lots of others have a variety of tips, though, too (taking soy lecithin granules, dragging a wide-toothed comb over the plug toward the nipple in the shower, etc etc). Good luck!

 

[HappyTomato]

Do you have a whole foods near you? Mine carries an herbal supplement called Happy Ducts. It has saved me a time or two recently. It has some powerful stuff in it to help prevent mastitis. Frequent nursing/pumping on the affected side will help reduce the swelling so you can get the plug out. I had luck a time or two with our shower massager as well with the water as hot as I could stand it. Check your nipple for a small blister because a blister will block the duct too.

 

[sarahdavida]

I had a ton of problems with plugged ducts/mastitis...always start your baby nursing on the plugged side to try to unplug...pumping never worked for me - and some don´t suggest it (since it further encourages an increase in milk supply, which is what you don´t want at that moment) - but I know some people try it and it works for them, so...???

my friend, who´s a homeopath, suggested grating raw potato and putting it all over the breast to try to drain it...but ultimately if the breast becomes red in any way, sore or if you develop fever, it has become infected...

an amazing homeopathic remedy that worked for me was Phytolacca (30 C)...3 pellets dissolved in the mouth - if nothing changes, keep doing it 3 times a day (4-6 hr. intervals) for a day or 2 - as SOON as you start to see any improvement of any of the symptoms, STOP taking it - or if it doesn´t do anything after 4 or 5 doses, then it isn´t going to work for you and you can stop anyway - drink TONS of water - and take up to 4000 mg of Vitamin C daily to help prevent/fight infection...the best way to try to clear the plugged ducts is to have your baby nurse and unplug them with the suctioning, but I have also heard sometimes they stop nursing on the plugged side because the taste of the milk becomes more salty and displeasing, so that might (and I stress "might") be why yours isn´t swallowing there...in which case I guess pumping would be necessary...

good luck! it isn´t easy sometimes, but hopefully you´ll be clear soon